Packages and Bows
by ForevermoreNevermore
Summary: I'm here to pick up a package." What does Alice want, then, if it has nothing to do with Emil? Racing against time, Marta means to find out, but can she make it in time? Could it be possible that who they thought their enemies were, could've been wrong?
1. Pitfalls

_Hi! Here's my first Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World fanfiction, so I hope it's good. '^^ _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.

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The sun glared down on the unwary travelers, making their packs seem to multiply in weight. The small forest looming ahead promised shade and a cool resting place. A slight wind shook the tree's clothing and the ocean of grass undulated. The longer blades of grass danced across their exposed skin, causing the more bubbly and least exhausted member of the group to giggle. She glanced around and sidestepped over to Emil.

"Oh Emil, isn't it a wonderful day?" she crooned, gently grabbing his arm. He felt his red face redden even more.

"S-sure." He stuttered, quietly wondering what was so 'wonderful' about it. His positive answer provoked her to grip his arm harder for a second.

"Oh Emil," she sighed, contentedly tracing a line back and forth on his arm with her middle finger. The heat combined with the proximity made Emil let out a shaky sigh. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked, ducking her head so she could probe his pristine green eyes with her own baby blue ones, a light twinge of worry turning them a shade darker.

"No, it's just hot," and that wasn't a lie. It was blistering in the heat, he could feel every ounce of liquid in his body wanting to evaporate and float into the atmosphere. Only his skin stood melancholy between him and a dusty pile of Emil. She erupted in another fit of giggles and took off, still clinging to his arm.

"Then lets hurry!" she swiftly ran through the tall grass, and Emil could only stumble after her.

"Marta!" he protested meekly, but followed anyway. The tickling grass turned into sharp whips as they dashed, leaving their group behind. Needless to say, they reached the trees first, so they had time to enjoy the shade. Emil collapsed onto the soft, shorter grass and Marta looked around at the trees before sitting happily next to him.

"It's much nicer in the shade, isn't it?" she ruminated, tugging gently on a blade of the deepest of greens. "A lot better than that stuffy ol' sun!" she stuck her tongue out childishly at the sun and Emil gave a little laugh.

"Yeah…" Emil whispered, enjoying the wind as it tugged playfully at his hair. Yet, as relaxed as he was, he couldn't get rid of the nervousness he felt at being next to Marta, the urging feeling of not being up to par with her vision of him… he peered out the corner of his eyes to examine her smooth, porcelain skin, as gentle as the rolling breeze.

"Emil," she suddenly giggled and her face turned red, "Is there something on my face?" Emil's face exploded red, his hair bristled, and his heart jumped over about five beats before landing crookedly and almost twisting its ankle.

"N-No! I-I was j-j-j-just…" he trailed off as he almost swallowed his tongue. He stopped stuttering incomprehensibly and bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Marta sighed with practiced patience. A shouted curse interrupted the two (much to Emil's gratitude). They turned around to see Sheena struggling out of a pothole and Regal doing his gentleman's best to not smile, even though the side of his mouth kept twitching upward.

"It may not be a pit…" Marta laughed, leaving the end hanging for everyone to fill in. Tenebrae materialized next to the pothole and laughed.

"Another _pitfall_ in life, Sheena?" By that time, the ninja had crawled out of the pothole and was glowering at Marta (who was still laughing) and Tenebrae in turn.

"Shut up, you old fogey!" she growled, marching forward and stumbling again. Marta and Tenebrae were still laughing, so Emil stood up and took a tentative step forward.

"Are you okay, Sheena?" she stopped and fidgeted with her hair for a second.

"I'm fine!" she sniffed, doing her best to look indignant. "Let's just go find somewhere to camp for the night." She growled past us and marched through the undergrowth like a mad bear, her overlarge pink bow flailing angrily out behind her.

"Well," Regal sighed as he came to stand beside the two of them. "We better follow her. She'll cool down in a little bit."

"Until she finds another hole," Marta snickered under her breath as they followed the Lezareno President into the darkening woods. The canopy blocked out any and all sunlight, making it slightly chilly, compared to the sun. They finally caught up to Sheena, who was sitting in a small, cozy clearing with her pack on the ground beside her.

"I think this is as good a place as any, she stretched her neck upwards to admire the thick, green canopy, then popped it.

"Wow! Great idea Sheena!" Marta said, dancing along the outskirts of the clearing. "It feels so safe here… like a- oh I don't know!" she sighed and walked back to the center of the clearing.

"I'll start preparing the food," Regal placed his pack on the ground and pulled out his special cooking knife, a far away look in his eyes. No one dared bother him, so the three gathered around Tenebrae.

"Emil, you go collect some firewood." He commanded, barely giving him a second glance.

"Okay." After setting down his pack, he took off into the forest. The sun was beginning it's downward descent, so the forest with virtually no light, had even less now. The blond, naïve Ratatosk knight stopped after he had finally reached the point of almost engulfment._ I better let my eyes adjust…_

Emil bent down and ran his hands gently over the moss-covered moist ground, but found nothing. He frowned, _we're in a forest, how could there not be any twigs?_ Finally, after what seemed an eternity of darkness, his began to adjust and he could make out crude shapes. Shapeless shadows that seemed to move about listlessly, and without conviction.

Without warning, a numbing feeling erupted in his stomach and began to spread throughout his body. It was familiar and Emil froze in is search. He only had this feeling before fights, or when he was really angry.

_Ratatosk?_ He thought, inwardly trying to search his mind. He wasn't angry, he was scared… and the numbing sensation was beginning to creep up his torso and into his arms. He didn't know why, though, and he looked down to see that he had stepped on a mushroom.

"Oh man…" he whimpered, kneeling down so he could squint at the crushed fungus. _Maybe I stepped on a poisonous mushroom and it's poison is airborne and… _he stopped himself and shook his head, trying to clear out the flying thoughts.

"I wouldn't change because of something so dumb." He muttered, scratching the back of his neck as the feeling still spread to the tips of his fingers and his whole body was almost numb with mind-jarring fear. But also confusion.

_What's going on here?_ The rational part of his mind was screaming at the timid part (who was curled up in paralyzing fear). He held off the fear with rationality for a moment, he was intent on finding out what was going on before he lost the fight.

Like a solar flare, a fire lit up the darkened forest and glared around trees. Emil flinched back from the light and almost lost his fight with fear, but he wasn't going to give up.

"Who's there?" he shouted, trying to make his racing heart calm down. There was a giggle, and then a foul odor that assaulted Emil's senses and almost made him lost consciousness. It burned his eyes and made his nose sting. But he recognized it. _Eau de seduction?_

"Decus?" Emil asked, his heart beating even faster at the knowledge that soon followed: where there's smoke, there's fire. His eyes suddenly adjusted to the light and he turned around to stare at the gaudy Vanguard member. "What are you doing here?" he asked, gripping his sword with his sweaty palm.

"Oh look, you foul smelling man, it's MartMart's pet!" her voice was high and sounded like a little kid, and as she danced out of the shadows, she looked the part. Her hat that looked like a depressed bunny's ears, the off-white dress. Emil lost his fight with fear, it washed over him as though he had been holding back the tide. It washed over his mind, lapping at his rationality and whipping it back to the darker corners of his mind. It flooded his senses, and the ration part of his mind began to drown. It pushed against its restraints, but soon it was fighting to hold it's last piece of life. Soon, it lost that as well.

"What are you doing here, sadist?" Emil growled, clenching his grip on the sword and pulling it out. Decus stared at the blond and made an obscene gesture that looked as though he was trying to dance.

"Whoa! Where'd you get those rad contacts? That red is wicked!" Emil scoffed and turned to glare at Alice.

"You didn't answer my question." Emil's fear had turned to rage and livid anger. It boiled around and his body felt like it had been out in the sun for too long. His back teeth were set to grind and his hand that was clenching his sword gripped it so hard it dug into his hand.

Alice played with the tip of her whip for a minute before whipping it around playfully, like it was a baton. "You shouldn't talk so mean to me, Emil!" she made a pout and put on a face of mock sadness. "It'll hurt my feelings."

"I don't care about your feelings, Alice!" his anger flared and he took a step forward. Before he'd even set his foot down again, Decus was already in front of the young sadist.

"Chill out man! There's no need to get all fired up!" Alice's eyes widened and she took a revolted step back.

"Don't come so close! You smell terrible!" she complained, widening the girth between her and her suitor. Her harsh words meant nothing to the irrepressible Decus.

"No need to get fired up? You're part of the Vanguard and you tell me no reason to get fired up?" Alice seemed to recover from her momentary lapse and gave Emil a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh Emil, there's no reason to get angry! We don't want anything from you," her voice was sickly sweet as she took a small skip forward, her whip waggling innocently.

"Then why are you here?" Emil slid his feet to get a better grip just in case he needed to attack.

"To pick up a package!" she giggled, childishly stowing her whip behind her back, holding it, though, so it could be seen, and cocked her head to the side. A sudden chorus of rustling leaves echoed in the stark silence. Emil turned his head around, but there were too many places to look. All around him, members of the Vanguard were stepping out of the trees, their footsteps seeming to echo in the small clearing. They made a circle around him, their swords drawn ready to kill. "And what a cute package it is!"

As if it was a command, the Vanguard jumped. Emil fought, slashing them down like overgrown weeds, but he was outnumbered and was quickly overpowered as well. He knew it was over, even the unrationable glowering anger, once his sword was flung out of his hand and dug into the earth with a hollow _thunk._

Emil jumped up to go after it, but they grabbed his arms, forcibly restraining him. He struggled, stepping over the bodies he had slain, but gave up, set on reserving his remaining energy. Alice's eyes glinted evilly, yet still held their childish humor as she stepped up to the restrained knight. Gently, she pulled one side of his scarf so that it fell to the front. She intertwined them in and out, until she was content with herself and stepped back to admire her work. The sides of the scarf dug into his neck, cutting his air circulation slightly, but enough so that any ideas of fighting were banished. He let out a feral growl that rumbled around his chest before erupting loose.

"And it came sealed with a bow!"

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_Well there you have it! It's not done yet, so hang on for the ride! ;)_


	2. Bodies

_Here is the second chapter! Thank you for your review, I'm so happy! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World  
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The anger, still boiling on all of Emil's burners, woke him up. Under the anger, there was a sharp pain in the back of his neck. It cut through the anger with every insistent throb, making it dull in comparison. Emil cursed and sat up, gently rubbing the back of his neck. His cursing amplified as he scratched over a deep scratch. He retrieved his hand and examined the thick, evil red liquid on his hand. It gently seeped over four of his fingers, then dripped onto the scratchy cot beneath him.

By then he had the sense to look around him, at the dingy, gray brick walls, the torch outside the barred door that lit only just enough and left the corners and more than half of the room in sticky darkness. His eyes slowly adjusted to the creeping darkness, but still the darkness clung to the corners as cobwebs. A thick, airless heat, making breathing harder for the already half-strangled Emil stifled the room.

With a flourish, he pulled out the bow tied out of his scarf and disgustedly threw one of the longer sides over his shoulder. _How am I supposed to protect Marta when I don't know where she is?_ Angrily he jumped off his makeshift bed and made his way over the crooked cobblestone floor to the barred door.

"Hey! Alice!" he bellowed, flinching as his voice resounded around the walls, echoing his angry words around the empty hallways. "Come on out and fight me fair!" The echoing command was answered by a giggle. _She_ came skipping down the hallway, the shadows making her childish face a grim, demonic sneer.

"Emil!" she whined, stopping before the door. _Just out of reach…_ he thought angrily. "You don't have to yell. Silly, I'm always nearby!"

"Never near enough…" Emil snarled, his throat vibrated with the hostility, and his hand clenching around the bar with the itch to strangle the sadist.

"Aww." She apparently took the threat differently. She winked and bent her face closer to the bars. "If MartMart saw you, she'd be green with envy!" Emil very nearly had to bite off his tongue to keep in his now past livid anger. "There she is, spending months trying to lure you with her," she coughed, "charms." She paused and bent closer to the bars, taking a step so that her nose was almost touching his. His anger meant to take a step back, but something in her dirty golden eyes, the stifling heat, and the near-blinding pain that continued to throb, made him stay put. "And here I am, I've got you locked in my house…" she brought up a finger to tap his nose gently. "Right where I want you!" At the tap, Emil came to his senses and took a step back, instinctively grasping his sword. Instead, he groped at the thick air. He cursed.

"My, my," she chided, taking a step back and rocking back on her heels. "Such a mouth on you, I wonder why she would want to kiss it!" Against Emil's better judgment, he blushed in embarrassment, the feeling took over for one split second, but that was all it took. The rational part of his mind took control, smothering the anger and standing triumphantly on it.

"Alice?" he whimpered, looking around the cage. _What happened? Why am I here?_ Emil's mind whirred, and he flinched, reaching back to tentatively touch the scratch on his neck. He yelped as he felt it, then noticed the large rusty stain on the cot, it stuck out like a siren.

"Well! It looks like the nice Emil is back!" Alice laughed, making the blond knight walk back up to the bars. She continued to giggle, uncontrollably grasping her stomach. He wanted to ask what was going on. He wanted to scream it at her face and throttle the childish smirk off her face. But all that came out was a meek:

"What's going on?"

"Don't you remember the forest?" she asked, sickly coating it over with so much sugar, Emil thought he was getting a cavity. He dug back into the recesses of his memory, but only found a white haze.

"Does this have anything to do with a mushroom?" he asked, feeling rather stupid. Alice was caught off guard for a moment before laughing.

"A mushroom? Oh dear Emil, I think you should lay down," she gently patted his head, making him flinch. Alice giggled and skipped down the hallway, humming a little tune. For a moment, he just stood there, blinking his pristine eyes. Then, his shoulder's dropped and his gaze wondered to the filthy floors. What he saw there made him look back up. Ragged, crimson stains dotted the floor. Sporadically, they seemed to be screaming at him to run for his life, do whatever he could to get out of here. _If you're chained, bite your leg off!_ They shrieked.

Emil swallowed the lump in his throat and stumbled over to the cot. He collapsed on the hard thing, careful of his neck and stared the opposite of the floor, the ceiling. There was blood there, too. He looked around and there were splatters all over the room. Even on the cot, he noticed as the lifted up the rough covering, to reveal ageless rusty stains.

Sheer revulsion formed a lump in his throat, so he cinched his eyes closed and balled himself up on the cot, hugging himself tight as though to keep himself together. _Marta… wherever you are… I hope you're okay.

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They had heard the fight almost before it had broken out. Like a cloud of colorless smog it had fallen on the group like a blanket of cotton, apprehension. Sheena became fidgety, pacing around the camp and muttering under her breath. Marta and Tenebrae had exchanged nervous glances, wondering where their blond knight was. Regal's chopping sounds forgot their rhythm and he cursed everytime he made a mistake. But, then again, the apprehension could've been something else.

"Hello my precious hunnies!" Marta and Sheena froze their hair on the back of their necks standing up. It was almost like a 6th sense, what they had. It was a nagging sensation that bugged them and bugged them until _he_ showed up.

"What's that idiotic Chosen doing here?" Sheena growled, clenching her fists. Marta, though slightly pleased the womanizer was back, noticed the raven-haired ninja's faint blush. He entered the clearing like a bloody wraith. His untamable red hair flowing out behind him and his cheery eyes sparkling. Oh, and of course his smirk.

"Well, I knew I got lost, but lost enough to get into Heaven? I must be one lucky guy," he said, eyeing Sheena, but never meeting her eyes.

"Nice to see you too, Zelos," Regal muttered, a slight humorous note making his tone light. The redhead laughed jovially.

"So you're the one cooking for this party? I think I'll stay, then see if Sheena will make dessert!" He laughed, then whined as Sheena slapped him with a practiced arm.

"You're form's as flawless as ever…" he laughed, sporting a new bruise. No one in the clearing missed the double meaning, so as the bone-breaking chill settled over the camp, Zelos decided to change the subject. "So where's Mr. Vengeance at? Thought he followed you like a shadow," he said, looking pointedly at Marta. She huffed and stomped her foot childishly.

"His _name_ is Emil! And he's off collecting firewood." she sniffed. Zelos laughed, put a hand on his hip, and raised a slender eyebrow.

"Touch-y…" he snapped his tongue on the roof of his mouth and turned back to Regal.

"Smells good! Can't wait to dig into that…"

"Hey!" Tenebrae cut through the redhead's hunger-fed sentence. His urgency brought the attentions of the group to focus on the dog-like Centurion's features. "I'm sensing Solum's core nearby."

"Solum? Isn't that the dirt one?" Zelos asked, innocently sticking his finger in the stew, retrieving it and sucking off the broth. His inquiry rewarded him with a withering glare from 'Tenny'.

"Yes, you twit. Solum is the Centurion of Earth," he spat out the last word. "And if you haven't noticed, the Vanguard is always nearby when Solum is."

"Oh yeah!" Marta said, her eyes widening slightly. Another hushed chill settled on the camp before Marta let out a strangled 'eep'. "Emil's out there!" All activity stopped in the camp for a split second before it erupted with action. Everyone was shouting at the same time, making it difficult for anything to get done. But, finally above the rushing waterfall came the booming voice of reason, or Regal, whatever you prefer to call him.

"We need to go look for Emil. Now, Marta, do you remember which way he went on his search for wood?" A shush fell over the small group a moment before Marta supplied the answer.

"He went that way," she tentatively pointed a finger to the farthest side of the clearing, and on a single command that could've been as loud as a dog's whistle, they flooded towards the forest, only to be stopped again by the more feminine voice of reason.

"It's freakin' dark in there!" Sheena shouted, halting their impromptu search party. Zelos jumped up, quickly grabbing a branch and breaking it off. He gently whispered words, almost in a way that was loving, making the air sparkle with magic before the end of the branch caught on fire with a blazing inferno.

"Problem solved," he smirked, but something about the way Sheena's face had flushed when he was whispering the words, made Marta wonder. Without another moment's hesitation, they rushed again towards the forest. The flickering fire set their shadows against the moist ground, allowing them to dance awkwardly as they ran. Sheena, the most used to running through thick terrain, ran a little ahead of the gang, seeming to slip in and out of shadows as though one herself. Regal ran with more agility than should be possible with one of such bulk. Marta looked to see Zelos running almost as smoothly as Sheena, carefully keeping the flame from catching on anything. She noticed that his smirk was gone, and replacing it was a face of worry. He ran like a cat, in fact both he and Sheena ran like a cat. Ducking in and out of the trees, weaving around almost like snakes. Marta felt a hot pang of jealousy. The two of them were made to fit each other. He was born to ogle, and she was born to be ogled.

Marta ran on with a renewed burst of energy, determined to get to her 'missing half' before…

"Holy…" it must've been pretty hard to curse with a faceful of dirt. Sheena stopped and caught the discarded stick before it could touch the ground.

"Zelos! You klutz," she muttered, walking over to the discarded Chosen and bending down to see if he was hurt. He took his head out of the dirt, whimpered something that sounded like a muffled 'my face', then wiped off the muck.

"Do you honestly think I'm that clumsy?" Marta stifled a laugh and a no. "I tripped over something…" he finished turning around and then propping himself up on his elbows. Sheena helpfully moved the torch closer to his feet (and Marta didn't miss the blush either of them had as she leaned over his chest, her face next to his), then flinched back. "I think we found the Vanguard…" Zelos muttered, strangely sober sounding.

"Do you think…" Sheena trailed off, her voice horrified but she couldn't stop staring at the mangled body before her. Regal kneeled down beside the body and, beckoned with his hand for the torch. He put it closer to the wound and grunted.

"Yes, this wound looks like so many others I've seen before, volatile and hasty. This was Emil, but in Ratatosk Mode." Sheena sighed, and then looked around.

"Zelos, could you give us some more light?" Sheena asked, offering her hand. He stood and his swift eyes flashed around. Quickly, he gathered up branches, grunting as he broke each of them off.

"Marta, stand a few feet back. Regal, over there and Sheena stand where you are," he commanded, handing off the sticks and lighting them in turn. Once Zelos was back in his designated position, they made a circle and their small circles of light converged to light a scene of mangled gore. Bodies littered the ground, their ruby blood soaking into the spongy soil to later tint the grass. The cadavers were contorted their faces agonizingly peaceful in their sleep. Their wolf that they had made a pact with, growled at one of the bodies, then tried to bite at it. Sheena stabbed her wood into the ground, fire down, to extinguish it, then collected the small wolf like a cat and gently patted his head to calm him down.

"If Emil did all of this, where is he?" Sheena huffed, absently kicking a body. Tenebrae appeared, floating tentatively over the bodies. His head turned this way and that, his mouth drawn up in a scowl.

"You humans and your carnage," he muttered, stopping suddenly. He turned to the closest person next to him, Regal, and sniffed. "Do you smell that?" Marta sniffed at the air, but all she could smell was the acidic note of blood. Regal sniffed at the air and sighed roughly.

"The smell of blood, the smell of hate."

"No, no, no!" Tenebrae shook his head. "Under the blood! It's that horrid cologne!"

"_Eau de Seduction_?" Marta piped in, feeling a sinking feeling of in her stomach. The Centurion nodded. "That means Decus was here! Which means Alice was too…" Marta bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the oncoming yelp. Decus and Alice were here. Emil was here too. Now none of them are. "You don't think," she stopped herself short, not wanting to saw it. It was bad enough thinking it.

"Marta?" Regal asked, his voice soft and kind. "Where's the nearest Vanguard base?" Marta dug through her memory (though she tried her best to forget them, she was glad she had them now). The other's converged around her, still holding their burning sticks. Then it hit her, and it rushed over her like hot, boiling water.

"The closest _base _is really far. The closest place would be Alice's house," Marta felt like she was going to throw up.

"That sadist?" Sheena asked, her eyes opening wide. Marta chanced a look at Zelos.

"So, she got him too?" he asked, sickly sarcastic. "Why don't you just kill the witch already? She's more than earned it!" Everyone turned to look at him, then Sheena snorted.

"I'm sure most people would say you have too." But he wasn't in the mood for kidding around.

"Would you?" It was a simple question, but it knocked the ninja off her feet.

"I-uh-wouldn't quite…" she trailed off and sighed. "We should hurry. If he gets in his Ratatosk Mode, he might say something and set her off her already cracked kilter."

"And that wouldn't be good for him." Zelos muttered, scratching his head. _Or her_, the violent side of Marta growled. "We better get going," he said, turning around and walking off. Marta watched him as he left, shocked that someone so narcissistic could be so worried. He walked with such conviction, she was jealous for a moment that he could be so fearless as to march in on a sadist. _A cute sadist…_ part of her mind said wryly, rationing his hurry.

"Zelos! How do you know that's the right way?" Sheena shouted, picking her way over the bodies after him.

"It doesn't matter!" he snapped, whipping around, then putting on an innocent face. "Besides, no matter which way I go, as long as I go straight I'll get out of the forest eventually, right?" he shrugged, blinking and raising his eyebrows.

"Marta?" said girl snapped out of her horrific reverie and looked at Regal. She vaguely heard Tenebrae agreeing with the redheaded pervert.

"Ya?"

"Which is the quickest way to get to Alice's house?" he asked, bending down slightly so as to meet her gaze. Marta opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again. The forest had disoriented her. She didn't even know which way she had come from. All the trees seemed to be circling around her, dancing and swaying their leafy arms. They laughed and mocked her, asking her where her Emil was. Maybe they ate him, maybe they buried him so he could sleep soundly under their ancient roots. Burning tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall.

"I-I don't know…" she whispered, her voice wavering uncontrollably. Even though it was a whisper in a clearing of arguments, everyone quieted at her wavering song. Zelos was immediately up and beside her, gently hugging her.

"Oh, baby. Here's a shoulder to cry on." Marta gently pushed him away.

"No. I'm fine. Let's go this way." She took off into the forest, heedless of the direction, she just wanted to get going after her knight, her Emil.

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, unable to sleep because of the pain, the blood that surrounded him, and the thoughts of what might happen to him. _I'm in her house…_ he thought, wondering what she could've done to these people to make them bleed this much, on the _ceiling_. He kept expecting her to show up, throw open the door and kill him with one fell swoop, but he knew that would be getting off easy. She would have her fun with him before she killed him, and Emil hoped that maybe Ratatosk would take over. He hugged himself tighter as he shuddered violently despite the stifling heat.

After he was tired of looking at the wall, closest to his cot, he rolled over to stare at the bigger part of the room, though shocked to see Alice standing by the door, a small monster carrying a tray of food.

"Alice?" Emil asked, hopping gently off the bed and going to the door. She giggled and opened a small slot, the monster dropped the tray and gently pushed it into the room.

"Can't have my favorite captive dying of hunger or thirst, now can I?" she said, gently pulling out her whip. She snapped it at the monster and it went scurrying down the hallway.

"How could you do that? It didn't do anything to you!" Emil reasoned, feeling pained for the poor monster. She giggled and slashed the whip under his neck, but stopped so it settled under his chin without hurting him. He let out a faint whimper.

"Oh Emil. Cute, innocent Emil. You know nothing of these monsters! They're beasts, you must tame them." Emil thought of his wolf traveling with them and felt a surge of anger.

"They're not all evil, it all depends on who they learn from!" he shouted timidly.

Alice gave him a triumphant grin, "And they learned from me, so what do you expect? Silly," she giggled and retrieved her whip, only to slam it against the bars near the food. "Eat, you look thin! Is MartMart not feeding you enough?" she paused and something in her childlike face aged and she looked her actual age. "She always did like her men thin."

All the while keeping an eye on the small girl, he bent down to the tray and gingerly picked up the water. This time, his rationality jumped off his fear, knowing something was wrong. It washed over him as the surprise from the sudden rush made it come all the quicker. For a time quicker than a second everything was covered in a red mist.

"You poisoned it! Didn't you?" Emil hissed, running to throw the cup through the bars and on the sadist. She quickly reached through the bars and grabbed his wrist, showing surprising strength. She smiled and enjoyed watching him struggle as he tried to move his hand.

"Why would I poison you? That's too quick of an end for someone like you, you adorable little knight," Emil grunted. "And beside, you can't not eat, it'll ruin my fun." She pouted, mock sadness filling her eyes. _Is this wrench capable of any real emotion?_ "What's the fun of tormenting a man going through hallucinations?" she laughed, digging her nails into his arm though the black glove before letting it go. Emil's anger overshadowed the pain and he took a swig of the water.

"You sick witch."

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" she giggled, blushing like a schoolgirl. Immediately, the anger and fear began to die down. Confused, Emil walked back to his bed. It wasn't leaving, it felt like his anger, his pain was being balled up and confined in the back of his mind.

"What'd you do?" he tried to shout, but the numbing sensation that was flowing through his body stopped him. It wasn't fear, it was actually numb feeling. His mind was buzzing anxiously, as numbness of the brain for anybody could not be a good thing. He tried to glare at Alice, she was giggling again, but all his anger had gone, ran away and deserted him. Emil blinked and thought he heard Alice mutter something about gorgeous, green eyes and that it was a shame they'd have to close forever. He tried to be scared, he had no clue why he was numb. It spread to his chest and to his limbs, giving them no feeling. He sat his head down on the cot, as the numbing sensation turned tiring._ Why isn't there anger? Where's the fear? I'm scared, but I don't feel it. _The last thing he remembered, seen out of clouded and emotionless eyes before he lay down an apathetic doll, was Alice giggling so hard, she had to grab the bars to support herself.

_Anywho, like they say, sequels are never as good as the originals (I'm saying that for chapters as well). Sorry it's not as good as the 1st chapter (in my opinion). Chaoi!_


	3. Candles

_Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been trying to work on too many fanfictions at once! (Brain blows up) Augh! Anyway I hope you like it! Oh, and THANK YOU for all your reviews! Ya'll make me so happy! ToT And... I'm sorry to admit that Alice's room has finally been described! Sorry because I couldn't think of anything but yellow and bunnies. '^^  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.

* * *

  
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The castle was not something that looked like Alice would live in. It was on the seashore, standing forlornly on the edge overlooking the endless sea. It was made of a dark gray rock, an ancient relic of civilizations past. It was this part of the countryside that was almost always dark. Gray, vicious clouds covered the sun almost all day, promising rain but never giving any. It gave the ageless castle a forbidding feeling that took root in the group's stomach and grew to dread. Their small wolf growled at the castle and began jumping around frantically.

"Are you sure she lives here?" Zelos asked, eyeing the castle skeptically. "It doesn't seem like _her_, if you know what I mean." Marta sighed as she remembered her days in the Vanguard. When she was little, her and Alice had been best friends, near inseparable. She remembered the inside of the house, and it was definitely her.

"Don't worry, the inside looks like her." She shuddered at the memory. "It looks exactly like her." They looked at the downed drawbridge, inviting them in like a gaping mouth, waiting to swallow them up.

"Don't you think it would be wise to get reinforcements? She is going to have the home field advantage, after all." Regal asked, the ever-thinking voice of reason. Marta's jaw nearly dropped off its hinges as she turned to stare at him.

"But Regal, we don't have time! The more time we spend floundering around looking for people, the more time Emil spends with_ her_!" she hissed, stepping closer to the Tethe'allen royal. He sighed, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes.

"Yes, I understand that Marta. But the more time we spend 'floundering around' for people, the more well prepared we are to do battle, no matter what we come up against." Marta took a deep breath of sea-salted air, trying to control her anger… but failing in the long run.

"No, I don't think you do understand, _Regal_. The longer we spend trying to build up some dream army the longer he spends with that _sadist_," she spat out the word and Regal showed no sign of interrupting, only unyielding patience. "And I know I've said that before, but I don't think you- no anybody here understands the significance of that! The longer he's in there, the closer he is to losing everything! His pride, his dignity, his _life_! That witch will play with him until he's broken, then she will fix him and break him again! _She_ will kill him, but it will seem like the life is being drained out of him at the pace of an asleep snail!" Tears were beginning to spring to the corners of her eyes, hot and burning, but she held them in check. "I've seen it happen, and no matter how much I wish I hadn't, I have. Those poor people were begging for death. They were begging to be torn apart from limb to limb rather than go through her! I care about Emil, I don't want him to die! And I'm not sure I can say the same about you, but I'd rather not see the person I love die because of something I did!" A considerable chill fell on the gang, and small gasps were heard from Sheena and Zelos, but she was past caring. The tears left hot trails down her face, and she impatiently dragged her sleeve across her eyes so she could get a clearer look at Regal, who was regarding her with heavily guarded eyes. Suddenly, it hit her, just exactly what she said. "Regal- I'm so…" he shook his head, only slightly.

"You're right. How about you go ahead, I'll go get reinforcements and support you. That way, we can get him out of there quicker." He said, his guarded expression reaching his voice.

"Regal," Sheena said, extending a hand.

"You three go on inside, I'll go find some willing citizens." He said, turning around and walking away, holding his head high. Zelos snorted and Marta turned around to see his sarcastic, cocky face sneering at her.

"Good going. You hit the only weak spot that Duke has. Congratulations, it took us most of the journey to find it." He gave a dry chuckle and Sheena lightly slugged him in the arm. He sighed and turned to her, not even bothering to rub his arm. "What's wrong? I was just telling the truth. You got some phobia of that?" he asked. Marta dried her tears, wondering how he could be so rude about it, when his friend was obviously hurt.

"Zelos…" she said softly.

He turned to her, fixing her with a violet-eyed stare before cutting her off stiffly, "What's wrong? You gonna' try to scare me away, too? Trust me, you can't, hunny, you're stuck with me." He turned towards the tall castle, and Marta could've sworn he heard him say something along the lines of 'my mother was', but she was fairly sure she wasn't supposed to. "Well, we better get going if you're going to save that knight of yours. The longer we sit here chatting, the longer he's with her, right?" he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder then walked towards the imposing castle, whistling jovially. Marta let out a sob that racked her body and made her heart ache.

Suddenly, two motherly arms were wrapped around her, comforting and warm. "Don't take it to heart," Sheena whispered, her spicy exotic breath blowing gently in her face. "That's the only way he knows how to act. The jerk," she gave a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but Marta knew she didn't mean it. "And as for Regal, try not to worry about him. He'll get over it," Marta waited for the eventually. "You just need to worry about Emil and yourself, they're tough." Marta sighed, her voice and body under control now.

"Thanks Sheena." Sheena extracted herself and started to walk after Zelos.

"No problem. And don't worry, I'll always be there." She stopped, turning around and waiting for her. Marta hurried and caught up, and then matched her pace to her ninja friend. "Don't you doubt that, either. I'm a ninja, I'm everywhere."

* * *

Emil woke up, shivering despite the suffocating heat. The numbness had dulled down but the young knight would've preferred that to what he had. Blinding, bone shattering fear racked through his body, crawling up his spine and then delicately running it's long tendrils back down. His heart, beating already faster than usual, began to leap over beats as fear decided it wanted to caress the vital organ. He felt oddly abandoned, or maybe that wasn't the word. Part of him was missing, bottled up in the back of his mind, and he felt as though his inner sanctuary had been violated.

"Eeeeeemiiiilll!" Alice sang, her footsteps echoing through the dank hallway outside the cell. Said young man flinched, then allowed himself a shaky sigh.

"What do you want, Alice?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and face his captor. There was a slight huff and the sound of a whip being slashed through the air.

"I just wanted to tell you something, but if you're not even going to look at me, I don't think I should." Emil had seen her enough to know that there was a fake scowl plastered on her face. Emil forced himself to sit up and look her in the eyes. Her scowl quickly turned into her little grin. "Oh! You're eyes look so dead and gorgeous! I've never seen such a pretty dull green before!" she giggled. Emil stood up and walked to the bars.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"I just thought I should let you know that MartMart's here! And she is rushing as fast as she can!" she laughed at some hidden joke, and Emil's poor, running heart took another flying leap.

"Marta's here?" he asked, his feet rooting themselves to the rock ground.

"Oh yes, and she's worked herself into a fit trying to find you! You should see the blood! There are Vanguard members being flung here and killed there! It's simply a wonderful sight, I wish you could see it!" she sighed as though it were an old lover she was talking about. Her face dropped suddenly, her dreamy expression morphed into disgusted joy. "And there are two more there. A silly little ninja and her pet, I'll have to get rid of them before I can have my fun." _Zelos and Sheena,_ he thought, vaguely noticing as she ran a semi-gloved hand over his chin-bone, then caressed it up to his ear. "You're such a cute, little knight, it's a shame I have to use you. You'd make a simply adorable pet," he felt his scarf gently come off his shoulder then flutter to the ground, but that nagging, insistent fear made him stay there and see what was happening. She gently reached into her pocket, her gaze never wavering, and pulled out something. Then, while he was still slightly muddled, she whipped her hands though the bars, wrapping something around his neck, then notching it thought a buckle and pulling it tight. He gave a small yelp in surprise as it tightened a little too tight.

"What?" Emil quickly brought up his hands, but Alice blocked and gently slapped the top of his hands like he was a naughty child.

"No, don't touch it! It's a present from me," she grinned and gently tapped the buckle on what Emil could only guess was a collar. She daintily cleared her throat, then let out a sharp: "Decus!" Alice had hardly said his name, before he was right beside her, bowing like a true gentlemen. "Get away from me! Go… stand over there!" _Albeit a bad smelling gentlemen._ Emil would've laughed if he had laughter left in him.

"As you command, oh Mistress Alice!" he said, jumping to where Alice's finger had pointed. Almost as soon as he got there, Alice's expression changed. She contemplated for a moment, before stepping away from the door.

"Oh Decus. I think it's time for playtime! Go fetch my toy, and I'll go show it to Marta! But I never was one for sharing." She looked pointedly at Emil before he realized that she recognized him as an 'it'. The young man gave another obscene bow, before retrieving his sword from the Iron Maiden that followed him like a second skin. Once again, his heart ran in hurdles, but instead of stopping after one, it decided it wanted to run a whole marathon of jumps.

Decus was at the door, using an ancient skeleton key to unlock the door and he threw it open. Emil flinched at the enormous racket produced from the metal clanging against the rock.

"Again, as you wish, my darling." He paused, examining the already bruised knight and sneering. "You don't mind if I… bruise him a bit, do you?" Alice giggled.

"Of course not, you silly man! In fact, that's the best idea I've heard all day!" she giggled, prompting Decus to brandish his sword. Emil backed up a few steps.

"I'll come out! You don't have to come and get me!" Emil stated, holding up his arms by his ears as a sign of good faith. Decus let out a snort and juggled his sword.

"But then my lady will think me weak, and you wouldn't want that to happen! I'm too gorgeous for anyone to think me weak! I'm sorry it's come down to this, you were as nice a fan as any of them!" It was then that Emil saw the ropes thrown lazily over the man's shoulder, proving that even if he were to go quietly, it still wouldn't be quiet. While the ropes distracted him, Decus rushed, slamming the flat side of his sword into Emil's stomach. That forced his back to the wall, and Decus saw his chance to prove himself.

Emil let out a small scream, biting his bottom lip to keep the rest of it in. He didn't want his inner fear, pain, and weakness to show, so he bottled it up like his animosity. The foul-smelling man had stabbed his sword into Emil's arm, successfully pinning him to the rock wall. The pain became like a haze, fogging over almost everything except for Alice's giggling. There was a crack as the sword was pinned in the grout, Alice shouted something, and then there was a cloud of dark smoke.

"Marta?" Emil asked, his voice a hushed whisper. 'Marta' grabbed the ropes off her shoulders and raised it to his neck.

"Oh Emil. You've saved me so many times! This is the only way I know how to repay you…" after a deep moment of air constriction, the sharp twine of the rope was doubled over the collar, cutting his air supply short, if only by a little bit. Through the mist, he smelled the odor wafting off of the girl and realized it wasn't his Marta, but a cheap impersonator.

"S-stop it!" he slurred, his body growing numb, but still throbbing hot from the wound. He tried to push off the impostor with his one free arm, but failed as the Marta only snorted disdainfully and regarded him with cool eyes.

"It hurts me how you think I'm someone else!" she pouted gently, pulling down another long string of rope and then pushing the knot tied around the leather strap into his throat.

"Stop!" he said, conviction entering his tone. 'Marta' 'tsk'ed slightly with his tongue before grabbing the hilt of his sword, jiggling it, and then ripping it out towards the ground. It ripped through more of his arm, causing him to nearly collapse from the new eruption of pain. "Stop…" he murmured, seeing Decus's Marta-like grin through hazed eyes.

"We couldn't have you having hope, now could we?" The next thing Emil knew, his face was being pushed into the wall and his arms unceremoniously twisted behind his back. Rough hands squeezed his cut, prompting a shout to sneak out of his traitorous throat. He felt cold air wash over his arms, and then twine snake itself around and around his wrists, tightening almost to the point of beheading his arms. The rough material bit venomously into his wrists, and then in another twist of the world, he was facing the azure eyes of fake Marta. With a flourish, he pulled the knot around to the back of Emil's collar, turned him to face the wall, then yanked the string. The collar choked him as he was still off-kilter, pulling his slightly limp body to the cobblestone ground. It seemed to happen in slow motion, he fell through air like it was thick water, maybe his own blood, and then landed, an overly obnoxious cobblestone jutting up to stab and invade the festering scratch on the back of his neck.

Emil let out a scream, vividly noticing the heat throbbing invasively from his neck and his arm, warming up his body and overcoming the numb invader. It rattled his ears, giving him a pulsing headache but he didn't care. It echoed around the cell, vibrating around the dank hallway. The scream sounded hoarse as the young man's throat ripped itself into shreds. His heavy head suddenly turned light, and darkness encroached upon his vision, snaking through and grabbing until all he saw was black, and his thoughts crashed around him, empty and meaningless while he stumbled out of a consciousness he would give anything not to have.

* * *

"Another one down," Marta sighed, slashing through another Vanguard member. She cast a glance at Zelos, who had run through the last man in that area, pulling out his sword and not even bothering to clean of the ruby blood before putting it in his scabbard. Sheena seemed to appear out of nowhere, glancing around the room with grim satisfaction. She made to walk off, but stopped when she noticed the red headed Chosen walking over to where they stood. Expecting some mini-war chat, what Marta heard took her off guard.

"You were right about the inside, it's definitely her." He looked at the yellow walls, his mouth twisted in a disgusted sneer. Marta regarded the walls, remembering them quite well despite the years. They were still the same off-yellow, the trimming lace the color of snowdrops. The castle's bottom floor had no walls, just one cavernous room. Giant stuffed rabbits sat dejectectly along the wall, their ears drooping with the years of dejection. The tiles were blood red, inset so close that the rusty grout could hardly be seen. All together, if that was all you saw, could've been the room of a child's. But you could've been blind and still would've seen that this was no little girl. Chains cast shadows on the ground, stuffed dolls wrapped in their nooses danced. Assortments of needles, blades, and wicked looking knives hung randomly on the walls. Assorted bones sat in their little piles, picked clean and separated around the room. Mini wind chimes hung from the ceiling, made from dejected bones that had apparently looked 'nice' to the young lady. Candles hung upside down from the ceiling, so the wax pulling suicidal dives from the candles burned anyone unfortunate enough to stand under them. As was the story of the Great Zelos Wilder as he cursed and peeled off the quickly drying wax.

"I hope she forgets those are there one day," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. Marta giggled darkly at a memory of Alice and her having a tea party, and wax dropped into the sadist's tea cup and she got so mad, she wouldn't light the candles for days. "I would laugh too, but I think she's off her rocker," Zelos muttered to Sheena, earning him a slight slap, but it wasn't full-force. Marta scowled at the perverted Chosen and stalked past the two of them.

"C'mon! We can't just stand here talking!" She ran to the stars, almost tripping over a discarded stuffed rabbit.

"We're right behind you, my darling diamond!" Zelos called, his echoing voice followed by the snap of Sheena's slap. Marta couldn't help grin,_ seems his sense of humor is back_. As she rushed up the stairs, she heard echoing footsteps behind her, reassuring her that her comrades were following her.

"Shouldn't you wait up for them? It makes more sense to face Alice with more than conviction on your side," Tenebrae said, appearing in a cloud of smoke beside the still climbing Marta.

"I've got more than conviction," she muttered, slightly breathless.

"Lady Marta," he started to say, before being interrupted as the two caught up.

"Oh, hey Tenny! What's shaking?" The Centurion's eyes opened wide before shaking his head and muttering something about humans and their silly sayings.

"Never mind that!" Sheena huffed, panting to catch her breath. "Let's go!" Marta heard the worry in the Chief's voice and continued to bounce up the stairs. The reached the peak of the stairs, only to find another wave of Vanguard members, waiting to flood the visitors. Marta pulled out her spinners and immediately began slashing down the members, ignoring the blood as it painted her face. She heard a slight explosion, then felt the air pressure constrict as Zelos cast a spell and killed a large gaggle of members. Sheena's cards spread out, killing the members left and right. Marta's hands were beginning to cramp around her spinners, but she gripped them even harder and pushed through the crowds, aiming for the stairs on the far side of the hallway. Due to the narrow room, the three of them were forced to almost fight elbow-to-elbow. Slowly but surely, they made their way to the end of the hallway. Marta stopped when they reached the end of the hallway, pausing to glance out the window.

It was a breathtaking sight, the slate ocean attacking the tall cliff with all its might, trying to eat away at the castle, but always falling short. It hit Marta with a stab just how much their fight was like the ocean. Eating away at the Vanguard, but never quite reaching the sadist upstairs. _Only two stories stand between Alice and me_ she thought, then sighed inwardly. She had no honest clue where Alice was, but it was the best bet that they would be in her bedroom. Marta shuddered, at the thought of Emil, _her_ Emil, anywhere near that witch's bedroom.

"Marta!" Sheena's shout brought her out of her horrid nightmare. "How many more levels?"

Marta glanced up to see her comrades already at the top of the stairs, "two." The ninja grunted and continued up the winding staircase. Marta hopped after her, the spinners still clenched in her hands.

* * *

The first thing Emil felt when he awoke was pain, but he was used to that, as was the pattern of his life. It was like the pain had replaced his blood and was flowing in his veins, circling around his body. He managed to open his eyes, but all he saw was wine. It puddled around him and filled his nose with a metallic twinge. _Wine doesn't smell like that…_ his muddled mind thought, desperately trying to iron out the wrinkled edges of his consciousness. He moved his arm and a sharp pain shot through him like a lance, stopping his thoughts and cutting through him with surprising accuracy. Emil flinched and as his now-awakened mind recognized the wine not as cognac, but blood. He tried to move his head away from the pool that was inching towards him, but he was jerked back only to have his head none-too-gently slammed into tile floor.

For a moment, all the Ratatosk Knight could was lay there, not wanting to move an inch. After a moment, he gingerly raised his head slowly to test his limitations. The rope tied around his collar was knotted to a hook protruding from ground. It allowed him to move his head so he could set his chin on the scarlet tiles. The unfeeling cold penetrated his skin and cooled him where his bare skin touched the ground. He allowed the cool to clear his mind for a moment before chancing a glance around the room.

He was leashed in a corner of the room, allowing him to have a full view. It was small and cozy, the walls a rather cheery shade of yellow. The trim was off-white, closely related to a pale yellow. There was a large bed a couple feet away from him; it had a frilly canopy that cast its yellow bedspread in a shadow. Pillows stacked lazily on the bed and stuffed white rabbits seemed to have converged and spawned around the room. Stretching his neck, he glanced up at the black ceiling. A chandelier dangled, it's square frame setting the room in a bright light. A rabbit's foot hung on each of the corners, and the tail and head sat on opposite sides. Glassy eyes stared forlornly down at the trussed up boy, telling him of his future if he didn't find a way out. Emil shuddered, and decided it would probably good for what little food was in his stomach if he ignored the dangling warning. As he glanced around the cheery room, all evidence pointed to a small child living here, reveling in their child-like dreams. But Emil knew better, and that knowledge made him want to throw up.

* * *

_There you are! I hoped you like it! (I think it's the longest chapter I've ever made for a fanfiction!) Yayz! _


	4. Memories

_I AM SO SORRY! This took so long and I'm SO SORRY! I just couldn't get it to write right. I'm pretty sure Alice came out butchered, for some reason I just couldn't get the charachters right. Thank you, Dr. Bob, for all your help with Alice and Decus's relationship! It helped a lot! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World._

* * *

Marta's breath was catching in her throat, her spinners were digging into her palms, and the iron smell of blood was beginning to get to her. Yet, they still had one floor to go. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and heard her companions stop behind her. After her breath was somewhat caught, she turned to face them. They were both quite a sight.

Zelos had blood dripping everywhere, probably even in his hair, but who could tell with all the crimson. He no longer bothered putting his liquid ruby sword up anymore, but used it at the moment as a crutch. He had his hands on the pommel and his head in-between his wrists. He was breathing heavier than either of the two girls, and they came out ragged and tired.

"Zelos, are you hurt?" Sheena asked, wiping a blood-drenched blade of hair out of her eyes. She was cleaner, but only because of her long-range card attacks. The redheaded Chosen shook his head weakly.

"No… but magic takes a lot out of a guy," he huffed, adjusting his head so his chin was resting on his hands. His usually bright eyes were glassed over, and almost looked gray. Sheena gave a sigh, an exasperated and worried one.

"Then stop using magic, you've got more than enough skill as a swordsman," she gently wiped the corner of one of her cards, and Zelos gave a dry chuckle.

"Are you, the great Mizuho Chief, giving me, a lowly Chosen, a compliment?" Sheena tried to glare at him, but it had a different effect, for it's hard to glare through worry. "Don't worry about me, I'm not the one with the sadistic women, well, besides you Sheena, but you're not near as bad." That got her glaring again, and Zelos laughed. "Trust me, there's nothing to worry about. We've only got one floor left and I'm pretty sure I tough it out," with that he pushed off his sword and glanced up the last couple of steps. "Lets get going."

* * *

Just as Emil was about to drift into an uneasy sleep, the door slammed open, obnoxiously allowing a yellow-clad sadist to enter the room. She skipped in, closely (yet at a respectful distance) followed by Decus. The half-elf bounced gently on the bed, then situated herself so that her stomach laid softly on the blanket and her arms were free to flail around. Decus sat beside her, but as soon as he touched the bed, she swiveled her head to him.

"Decus! Are you _ever_ going to run out of that… that cologne?" she hissed, smacking his shins with her whip. But, Emil noticed it wasn't much of a slap, but more like a pat. He jumped off the bed and pranced to the corner of the room.

"Never! One of these days, the scent will get to you, and you'll realize your true feelings!" then, in a less (only slightly less, mind you) confident tone, he added, "The salesman promised me, just like he did for the Iron Maiden!" he pointed to the usual mystic item that followed him around. Alice snorted and dragged the tip of her whip playfully on the ground near Emil's face.

"The scent's already getting to me, and I know my true feelings for you. You're a smelly little man who follows me like a second skin! You… are an idiot," she pouted playfully down at the captive blond, playing the tip through his hair.

"My dear, dear Alice, hatred and love are so closely related, you can probably not tell the difference between the two!" he closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows in triumph, only to have a stuffed bunny thrown at him. "Ah, a token from my love!"

Alice growled, feral and annoyed, "Dumbo-Decus!" her eyes opened wide as he cradled the rabbit fondly. "S-stop that! You look like an obnoxious little boy! If you don't stop-" her words fell on deaf ears. She sighed, her eyebrows furrowing together. "I'll have to burn that rabbit," she eyed him grasping the rabbit closely. "If I ever get it back." Emil watched the young man glance at the rabbit, then pet it softly as if it was real. There was a certain… kindness in his eyes as he glanced from the rabbit to the sadist perched on the bed. Decus' violet eyes opened wide as he stared at the young girl, though as big as they were, there was no room in there for anything besides the pure love that radiated from them. Alice, who was still quietly tracing Emil's back with her whip, cast a glance at him from the corner of her golden eyes. "Stop staring at me like an abandoned little dog!" she snapped, though her pale porcelain cheeks seemed to turn slightly peach for a fleeting second, then turned their usual colorless alabaster just as quick.

Decus bowed, hiding the rabbit behind his back and sweeping his other hand across the ground. "As you wish, Mistress Alice." Alice turned back to Emil, satisfied for the moment.

"Emiiil!" she sang, dragging the whip from his bound hands, up his spine and through his hair before stopping on the tip of his nose. The blond glanced up at her.

"Yes?" his 'apparent' innocence made her giggle like a blushing school girl (which she was anything but).

"What am I ever going to do with you?" A crash interrupted Alice mid-thought, and Emil whipped his head to the door, only to be coerced back by a gently whip on the side of his cheek. "It seems MartMart's quicker than I thought. I think we should go out and meet her halfway, don't you?" but she was already hopping off the bed. She skipped over to the door and turned to the still obsessed after a quick pirouette. "Decus!" she snapped then her voice melted as she turned her gaze to the confined knight. "Unlatch out little friend from the ground and carry him, would you?" But it wasn't much of a question. The rabbit flew out of the young man's hand and he seemingly appeared out of no where beside him. Decus grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head as far as the rope would allow. Brandishing a knife he slashed the knife and a slight looseness allowed his neck to breath a little more. The floor disappeared only to be replaced by a bony shoulder. It dug into his bruised stomach and Emil let out a moan. Decus lumbered to the door, and every little jostle shot a pain through his stomach.

Alice started to step away from the door so that Decus could open it, but stopped and turned around. Golden eyes squinted in scrutiny and she gave a dissatisfied grunt.

"Oh, I can't let MartMart see you like this!" Emil had only to think back to the bloody arm, the missing glove and the couple days in darkness to see the problem. He blushed. Alice brought her whip to her chin in consternation. "No… you don't quite look like you could." Then in a flash, she slapped the whip across his cheek, the tip grazing his eye. Emil let out a hiss and closed his eyes while he waited for the pain to subside. He opened the unharmed eye to see Alice staring at him with glowing eyes and a happy expression. "There we go! Now you look like an abandoned little puppy! Just the sight of you will make MartMart livid!" then she gently patted his head, toying with the gravity-defying hair on his head. Emil suddenly felt a twinge of indignancy and snapped his head away.

"Alice!" he huffed. "Stop treating me like a pet!" Alice's face flooded with mock sadness.

"How dare you be disrespectful to my dear Alice!" he bumped his shoulder up, making Emil hop and float off his shoulder for a moment, and when he landed a pain erupted in his stomach, prompting a yelp.

"But, you are a pet. My pet!" Alice suddenly chortled, tapping the collar securely wrapping on his neck. Then she whipped out of the way and Decus opened the door for her. "Now, I say we show off our new little mutt, don't you Decus?"

* * *

Marta stopped and stared at the room in front of her. The heavily armored Vanguard member she had just blatantly slew had created quite a racket. At the far end it rose in two opposite grand staircases. They curled up and then met in a rail-less walkway. A single door sat in the middle, and at that moment it flew open. The blonde sadist danced out the door, spinning and playing her whip in the air. She twirled to the edge of the walkway. Finally glancing down at the encroaching group, she smiled happily at them.

"Alice!" Marta shouted, her voice shaking with anger. Another figure joined the young lady on the ledge. She felt hot tears of shame build up in her eyes as Decus dropped Emil off his shoulder like a useless bag of potatoes. He yelped, and it echoed through the crack already building in her breaking heart. Groaning, he didn't try to fight of Decus as he pushed him to the edge so his head was lolling off into the empty air. "Stop it!" Alice simply smiled at her and plopped down on the small of Emil's back, making herself quite at home.

"Oh MartMart! I could never forgive you for keeping this adorable little knight to yourself all this time!" A half-gloved hand found itself on the back of Emil's blond head. "But, he makes a much better pet than a knight.

"Hey, sadist! Let Emil go!" Sheena shouted from behind Marta. Alice's amused gaze turned into mock anger.

"Oh, it's you." Her tone dripped with boredom, then turned sincerely angry. "You're that ninja that _kicked_ me!" Decus' face turned to dramatic outrage as he remembered.

"You little wrench!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her. Fire suddenly found itself dancing around his head, and he did a mad dance trying to put it out before it made it's way into his hair. Zelos gave a weak chuckle, but said nothing. Concerned, Marta turned to see the ex-Chosen leaning heavily on his sword and breathing heavier than before. His smirk was there, though, as he stared up at Decus.

"Zelos," Sheena sighed, rushing over to help the obviously pained redhead.

"Aww," Alice crowed, snapping her fingers. "How cute! A ninja and her pet!" A rustle of armor drew the attention of the three travelers. A huge man in full-body armor rushed faster than anyone weighed down that much should. Using one arm he raised his sword, obviously aiming for the raven-headed ninja. He brought down the sword…

Then stopped.

Sword grated against crimson sword as the man pushed down on the grunting Chosen. The redheaded man pushed against the swordbearer, placing his palm on the flat of his sword. Grinning, the man adjusted his footing and easily swung Zelos off of his feet and onto a nearby wall.

"Zelos!" Sheena shouted, watching in horror as the Chosen exhaled all of his air while the sword pressed him harder to the wall. Giving up, his feet hung listlessly and he gave a throat-scorching cough. A ruby red stream began to flow from the corner of his mouth, then he gave a smirk.

"That's just sick," he rasped. "Trying to hit a lady? Geez, were you born in a family of barbarians?" He seemed to want to say more, but the sword pressed harder.

"Dang it, you idiot!" Sheena growled, taking a step towards the now quieted Chosen. "I could've handled it! You're already half dead, are you suicidal?" Marta watched helplessly as the ninja angrily wiped at her eyes.

"Couldn't let… a girl take a blow," he sniffed quietly and indignantly. "Would've looked bad." Sheena scowled and took another step… then disappeared.

Laughter echoed around the room, and Marta turned only to meet Emil's horrified green gaze. Her stomach turned before she looked back up at Alice. She laughed, slapping her whip on the ground.

"I made that especially for her!" she laughed, talking of the now gaping hole in the floor. Zelos' eyes opened wide and seemed to want to say something but started coughing instead. "Send the pet after it's master." Alice said through her mirth. The armoured man grasped the front of the salmon duster, then removing his sword he threw the Chosen down into the pit. Marta flinched at the sickening crash, and felt the urge to rip off the sadist's head as she gave another breathless chuckle. "Did you hear that, Emil?" Marta whipped around against the complaints of her body to see Alice run a hand delicately from Emil's chin, up his face, then through his hair. Even from there she could see Emil shudder. "That's music. Best sound known to man."

"But you're not a man," Marta spat, gripping her spinners as if they were her neck.

Alice's face fell from laughter to blatant thought, then to happiness again. "How silly of me, thank you MartMart!" she turned her head to the side. "It's the best sound known to women and little girls alike." The brunette watched as Emil said something to Alice, too quite to hear, then she straightened and turned her expression to mock adoration. Still, Marta didn't miss the sadistic glint glowing silver in the golden depths of her eyes.

"Oh, you're so cute when you try to act brave." She giggled, slapping the whip down on his back. In response he arched away and let out a slight whimper.

"Alice! Let Emil go!" she shouted, deciding that beating around the bush could mean Emil's new nickname was bush.

Alice stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "But that's jumping through all the fun! And besides, would you really want to deprive me this cute little mutt?"

"Yes! I would!" Marta's voice rose in desperation. Alice's smile only lengthened, and the two young girls stared at each other for a few moments.

"Look at you, you're just a little girl trying to save her little pet with her little toys. You're a small person, MartMart." The carrier of Ratatosk's core straightened up to seem even taller and squinted at Alice's fragile form.

"I'm taller than you are!"

"Oh MartMart, you're so nieve." She shook her head in fraudulent pity. "The only thing you seem to give a hoot about is what's right in front of you! You don't seem to even care about your two friends that could very well be dead." Marta felt a ping of anguish as the truth in her words hit her. Alice's eyes narrowed in thought. "I bet if you turned your back on little Emil, you would forget all about him!" she giggled, leaning back and nearly tumbling off her seat.

"That's not true!" Marta shouted, childishly stomping her foot as pathetic tears welled in her eyes.

"Did you know that your little friend here's got more than one personality. One's so frightening and bloodthirsty, he gave me the chills just looking at me with those crimson eyes. The other one's so sweet and cute, I just want to cut him up into little cakes and eat him up!"

"I think I would know that, I have been with him for awhile," Marta snorted.

"And I've seen the way you ogle at both of them. The dark, dominating wolf and the bright, cute homeless mutt." Marta stiffened, not knowing what was coming. "You might as well leave this cute little mutt to me."

* * *

Emil stiffened at her words. _Leave me? Wait, Marta don't go. _He craned his neck to try and see Alice's expression, but the back of his neck still hurt too much for that much movement. Instead, all he could do was stare at Marta and wait for her response.

"Why in the world would I leave him? Are you crazy as well as sadistic?" Marta shouted, squaring her shoulders.

"But MartMart. I thought you loved the wolf?" her face was innocent. "You always say you want to be protected, do you really think Emil can do that alone?"

"Emil's never alone!" Marta spat, and Emil wanted to believe her yet he couldn't shake the memories of the dark prison.

"He might as well be, you're always getting in trouble," she paused and her body seemed to shake with muted laughter. "You're helpless! You're little loverboy is up here, and you're just standing down there, huffing and strutting around like a proud, cocky peacock." Marta's resolved expression faltered for a moment, then a shudder wracked through her body and she took off running. Emil felt his heart flutter hopefully, then a warm breath brushed against his ear and his stomach made like a caught fish and flopped. "I can practically hear your racing little heart from up here, and my what a marathon." Then the hot wind disappeared. "Decus," Alice snapped, but it was quiet enough that Emil was sure Marta wouldn't hear. "MartMart needs a dancing partner." The rest, as they say, is history. The man seemed to be moving faster than Emil could watch, and apparently Marta felt the same. She was halfway up the stairs when the man brandished his sword before her.

Marta let out a shout and stumbled backward a few steps.

"Decus move!" she snapped, rushing forward a few steps. They parried and then Decus pushed her back again.

"You're not quite the partner I was hoping for," he gazed meaningfully up at Alice. "But I guess you'll have to do." And they were at it again, though Marta was promptly on the slowly losing side. Emil squirmed, digging for his hidden emotions. Tenderly he searched, uncorking everything he found but all he did was rip the scabs off of old wounds.

* * *

Marta stuck the side of her spinner over his sword, ducked it down and aimed a slash for his treasured face. He backtracked quickly and glared down at her. Furiously, he came at her with a livid 'my beautiful face'.

Deciding it was safe to peek at her captured knight she did so, but didn't like what she saw. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. His exceptionally green eyes were glassy and clouded over. She recognized that look when he was deep in thought or trying to sort out his inner turmoil. It slapped her just then that she hadn't seen those eyes turn crimson for awhile now.

"Emil!" she called. He shook his head and the clouds dispersed. "What's wrong? W-why haven't you…" she paused and parried an eccentric slice. "Fought back?" He opened his mouth to answer, but Alice put her hand on his cheek and popped his neck so far he smacked his shoulder with his cheek.

"Don't you listen?" she sighed. Then followed up with a dazzling smile. "I told you the wolf ran off… or more precisely, was chained up." She gave a pout. "He was threatening to overcome the dear little pup, and I just couldn't let that happen."

"What did you do?" Marta screeched, putting her guard down allowing Decus to force her down the last couple of steps. An untimely interruption disturbed their conversation, and it surprised even Decus and the sadist.

"Hm," it was a mere murmur yet it rang out in the shocked silence. The man's evergreen eyes drank in the sight in a few short glances; first Marta and Decus, then the giant hole in the ground, and last of all Alice and Emil. His gaze stayed on Emil for a moment, a moment longer then Marta would've liked. "Alice, what's going on here?" Because Richter hates to be left out of the loop. Marta narrowed her eyes at him, _is it that hard to figure out?_

"I'm trying out a new career as a dog catcher. How do I look?" Alice propped a leg over her knee and winked down at him childishly. He simply closed his eyes for a moment, and Marta could've sworn he whispered 'ridiculous'.

"I don't recall Brute ordering this," he said, his voice tightly strained. An angry and sad shudder ran up Marta's spine, and Alice froze up, her giggle plastered to her face in a frozen mask.

The sadist snorted indifferently. "Why should I give an owl's cute hoot? He never cared if I was happy." Marta stared aghast up at the girl with her nose upturned to the ceiling.

"Why should he care about you? You weren't his daughter!" her voice cracked at the end and she once again felt those dreaded tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away angrily, _pull yourself together!_ Absently, she heard Emil whisper her name, in a worried tone. It tugged at her heart, his tone, _look at this. You're worried about me. I'm horrible…_

"It didn't seem like he ever cared about his daughter either, sticking her with a sadistic babysitter." A rare flash of true anger zipped across her face for an instant.

"Perhaps that's not the right road to travel at the moment," Richter intersected, though it wasn't for Marta's protection. She noticed the bored and impatient tone in his voice, but the brunette didn't care. She none too gently pushed past the preoccupied Decus and stared up at Alice.

"Sadistic babysitter?" All of the memories of her and Alice playing together came back in a rush. "But we're the same age."

"So? I'd hate to think I acted the same way you did." She laughed none too gently. "You were such a spoiled little princess at sixteen. I'd actually woken up and said 'good morning world'." She sighed as though speaking to the world at that very moment.

"But… we were friends!" Marta protested, yet couldn't help but see the smiling Alice she used to know morph into the sadistic, smirking girl she recognized today.

"Isn't it funny?" Alice stuck the tip of her whip against her chin in mock thought. "Have you ever noticed how adults talk to little kids like they can _relate_ when one's seen the world and the other's still a worm without a cocoon?" Then she spared Marta a toothy grin. "When I joined the Vanguard, what do you think your dear daddy did?" she barreled over Marta's answer. "He didn't trust me, that's for sure. In fact," she scowled down at Decus. "He separated me from my pet…"

Alice didn't finish her sentence, yet that was all Decus needed to hear. "You were worried? Oh, my dear sweet Alice you had no need to worry about me, even though I was endlessly fretting over whether you were okay or no-"

"Decus! Stop babbling you're not a brook!" Alice snapped, slashing her whip in the air and pointing it at the man. "I had to do my own bidding! I had no one to get stuff for me," she gave a pout and looked like she was going to cry but it was over in a millisecond. "In fact I had to get stuff _you_ cried for! But now," her anger passed swiftly and she plucked at Emil's shirt giddily. "I've already got the stuff you're crying for!"

"What do you want?" Marta spat. "Me to apologize for a friendship I thought we _used_ to have, because Heaven knows you grew out of that small friendly stage you had!"

Alice gave an injured face, "I had a friendly phase? Oh why didn't anyone snap me out of it? I got a… reputation!"

"Brute won't be happy you're doing this behind his back," Richter interjected, his voice heavy with foreboding.

"Let him be mad! I don't care, he never let me do anything I wanted to do!"

"That seems to be the point of a leader, he keeps your sadistic dreams in check," Richter retorted calmly. Slowly, Alice's small smirk split her face in half, encroaching upon every inch of her features and making her golden eyes glimmer brightly. Her hand wound through Emil's hair, slowly and painfully, before bending it over the edge. He yelped as one… two… three drops of blood pattered to the ground below him, then Alice whipped his head back up and met his gaze happily. If possibly, her grin grew exponentially.

"I know, that's why I don't have a leader anymore."

* * *

_Okay, I know I'm dragging this out. I just can't wrap it up! So, there's the chappy and sorry it's crappy. (Hey, that rhymed!)_


End file.
